Police and crime chief Lord Willy Bach and his staff have been mocked for wearing police-style uniform while joining officers on the streets of Leicester.

The Labour politician donned a black jacket with a police checked stripe when he visited the Saffron Lane area of the city with Leicester South MP Jon Ashworth.

The same jacket was worn by Andy Furlong, also a civilian, who works as a policy advisor in the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

While the jacket carried a small “PCC’’ badge on the chest and a large “Police and Crime Commissioner’’ motif on the back, concerns have been expressed that it is too similar in design to clothing worn by warrant card carrying police officers.

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Lord Bach said: “The jacket was originally purchased to wear at our public engagement events, where it clearly and easily identifies me as the PCC to the public.

“I wore it on the patch walk for the same reasons. With the size of the lettering saying ‘Police and Crime Commissioner’ I don’t think anyone could make a mistake about my identity.

“I am aware some people have commented about me wearing it last week and that is entirely their prerogative, on other occasions it has been welcomed by those wishing to talk to me.”

A spokesperson for the commissioner’s office said: “Andy Furlong has worked as a policy advisor, on a part-time basis, to the Police and Crime Commissioner since October 2016.

“The jacket was intended to identify him as a member of Willy Bach’s team when he accompanied him on the patch walk. In hindsight, it might have been more appropriate to have had ‘OPCC’ on the front of the jacket he was wearing that day.”